Winning the Maki Race in Sushi Go!

Maki rolls are the only round-by-round race in Sushi Go!. The player with the most roll icons scores 6, second most scores 3, and everyone else scores nothing. That makes maki very different from every other card. A tempura is worth the same whatever your neighbors do. A maki is worth exactly what it changes in the standings.

The race in numbers

The deck has 26 maki cards: 6 with one roll, 12 with two, and 8 with three. That is 54 icons in total, about 2 icons per maki card on average.

Average icons in play per round, worked out as cards dealt times 54, divided by 108:

These are averages over the whole round. They tell you how deep the race can go. In a four-player round, if one player has 7 icons, there are only about 9 left for everyone else.

How ties split

From the rules: if players tie for the most, they split 6 points, ignoring any remainder, and no one scores second place. If players tie for second, they split 3 points, ignoring any remainder.

A two-way tie for first scores 3 each, the same as a clear second place. Breaking a tie for first is worth 3 points to you. Falling from a clear second into a three-way tie for second costs you 2.

What one maki card is worth

Take a 3-roll maki in a four-player game:

• It moves you from third to first: worth 6 points.
• It moves you from tied first to clear first: worth 3.
• It moves you from third to second: worth 3.
• You are already well ahead, or hopelessly behind: worth 0.

Compare that with the other cards in the hand. A second tempura is a sure 5. A maki is often 3 and sometimes 0. Maki wins your pick only when it changes your place.

When to chase first

• Early in the round, with a 3-roll maki in hand. Three icons on turn one is a strong start, roughly a full player’s average for the round in a four-player game.
• When nobody else is racing. If no one has taken maki by the third or fourth turn, a few cards may win it cheaply.
• When you can see the maki that are left. After one lap of the table, you know every maki card still in a hand. Lesson 11 covers counting them.

When second place is the smart target

Second place is 3 points, and it often costs far less than first. When one player has jumped ahead, the rest of the table tends to give up on maki. Your one or two maki cards might quietly be enough for second.

Watch for this especially at four and five players, where several players end with zero icons.

When to quit

• Two players are each well ahead of you. Third place scores nothing.
• The maki left in the round, as far as you know, cannot close your gap.
• The same pick would finish a tempura pair or a sashimi set.

Once you quit, stop taking maki entirely. Every maki pick after quitting is a wasted card.

Blocking in the maki race

If your left neighbor leads maki by one icon over you and the hand you are passing holds a 3-roll maki, taking it does two things: it adds to your count and keeps it from them. That can be a 6-point swing between the two of you. When you are close to the lead, maki blocking is one of the best uses of a pick.

Two players

With two, first place scores 6 and second scores 3, so the race is mostly a 3-point difference between the players. Maki matters less at two than at any other count. Take it when it is cheap, and do not give up a set to chase it.

The habit

Before every maki pick, count each player’s icons. It takes a few seconds, since maki cards sit face up in front of everyone. Then ask one question: does this card change where I finish? If yes, it may be the best card in the hand. If no, it is the worst.